Arsenal seems to be Arsenal’s problem by Akinnubi
It was an improved performance against Chelsea compared to Manchester City, albeit the difference in quality between City and Chelsea,nonetheless it was an improved performance.
This defeat has one big difference from the City game though; it wasn’t due to superior quality of the opposition, but it was due to Arsenal’s own failings!
Let’s look at the deciding moments of the game…
The first goal came as Jorginho caught Bellerin out of position to release Alonso who squared for Pedro to finish off.
The second goal? A long ball from Azpilicueta to Morata leaves him one-on-one with Mustafi, cutting the ball to his left and sending Cech the other way (like a penalty). Aa goal which prompted the ‘Are you Wenger in disguise?’ chants from the home fans.
Those goals were obviously defensive failings, but seconds before the second goal, Guendouzi released Bellerin down the right, Bellerin then squared for Aubameyang who was around 10 yards from the post yet skied his effort. (Emery applauded, Guendouzi was visibly disappointed)
After the second goal, another sitter was created for Mhkitaryan by Iwobi, with the former missing the target again from close range.
Mhkitaryan scored and assisted Iwobi’s equalising goal after those misses ,and then the attack started missing again with Aubameyang and Iwobi responsible.
Our second half sub, Lacazette, gave the ball away in his own half to gift Chelsea the win in the 81st minute though, but this match was filled with defensive and offensive failings and I can’t just pinpoint where the game was lost.
So which of the two do you think was responsible for the defeat? The dreadful defending? Or the missed Chances?
A combination of both missed chances and school boy defending cost us the game. We are really in for a long season. However, I still believe in Emery. i think he is slowly imprinting his DNA on the team. Ozil should never play for this team again. Maybe we should think about replacing him with maybe Fekir in the next transfer window. He and Xhaka are liabilities at the moment
Would anyone think that bellerin would be worth a go left side of midfield as we have no winger. He’s great going forward but poor defending.
…………..cech……………
Lith..mus..soct..monr…
……..tor…..gud………
Bel…….mykit…..Abua
………..laca……….
I agree bar one thing & that’s the pairing of the 2CBs… one or the other had to partner Mavraponas or Holding.
Bellerin is an option out wide, can finish also so why not give him a go with Lichsteiner backing him down the right. Auba out Left with Laca n th middle. Between Ozil & Miki for the last spot. Welbz & Iwobi the back ups.
Bellerin can’t finish. Nor dribble. U guys r just desperate for natural wingers that we should have gotten this window. he is doing great offensively as RB. What he needs is be as good defensively and we’ve got our issue solved there! He is young, could learn and if unai can’t make the best out of him, he needs to go…. Great managers make the best out of what they’ve got par a few signings!
We all know we need wingers but in case you fell asleep ? for the last 3 months we didn’t get one I’m suggesting it might be a solution until the window opens. Try and keep up.
@Enda
THAT S A FANTASTIC SUGGESTION BRO
IF ONLY I HAD EMRYS CONTACT NUMBER LOL
yup, he should be restricted to europa league appearances. those eastern euro teams can make him look good
A combination of both missed chances and school boy defending cost us the game. We are really in for a long season. However, I still believe in Emery. i think he is slowly imprinting his DNA on the team. Ozil should never play for this team again. Maybe we should think about replacing him with maybe Fekir in the next transfer window. He and Xhaka are liabilities at the moment. Guendouzi though is a real gem.
Our poor finishing cost us……..
Is time Aubayamang start getting serious…..
He has been wasteful recently, even against Man city
Aubameyang misses a sitte; it is one of those things.
Mkhitariyan missed from 7yard; it is one of those things.
.
.
.
Iwobi scores a ballistic missile shot: He’s running like a headless chicken.
As per yesterday game, our attack let us down. At 2-2 scoreline, we were dominating Chelsea with many scoring opportunities. Our Nemesis, Hazard, entered and the whole game turned upside down for us.
Our tallisman, Laca, entered, he cost us goal that nailed our coffin.
It has to be both no? Had we converted some of our chances we would possibly have won the game or at least not lost the game. Yet had we defended better we possibly could have conceded fewer goals.
What is clear, we need to improve on both sides of the ball.
I hope Emery will be done giving chances to Xhaka as a starter and I hope he will give Torreira a chance to start. I also would not mind seeing Lichtseiner start.
Finally, shouldn’t he find a way to fit Laca in?
Tha lack of quality. They brought the likes of Hazard in. ( world star) while we brought the likes of Ramsey in ( world star in his own mind) Hazard and the other guy Kovacic made the diff due of the quality and us being tired.
Well said, I think Kovacic bossed the midfield and ramsey was nomeorth at all. I am said that we did not took him on lone, and that ramsey still plays football in PL.
sorry, typos…
no worth
sad
Think the missed chances, if we scored them, would have been a completely different game. Obviously the defending wasn’t great but we could have sat back a bit more if we had scored and taken the lead as we were playing a high line pressing further forward trying to get back into the game, and we got caught out for the first 2 goals
How many times over the last 10-12 seasons have we gone toe to toe with Chelski at Stamford Bridge?In the first half we showed unbelievable resolve and commitment to come back from two down and for that the team and the fighting instincts the Manager has instilled must be applauded.
But we lost and there is no coming away from the fact that we defended badly for both their goals and somehow missed chances that were there for the taking at the other end.
I refuse to get on the Team’s or Managers back.The improvement was there for all to see from the previous week and our fixtures during September and October will tell us how much improvement there has been made.
I know it’s disappointing to lose (especially to that PLASTIC CLUB WITH PLASTIC FANS) but the balance is a big improvement on last season and will get better.
Cmon Phil his tactics in the 1st 2 games have been terrible and his team selection baffling .i know your an ozil fan but he’s had one good season for us .you can point to stats but it’s what he’s not done in the big games that I need as proff
He said his teams press ,I haven’t seen this at all yet .
More backwards passing than wenger was in charge .also fans on here saying they are wenger players , but he bought in 5 of his own, that’s half a team if my maths is right .i see no improvement from the 1st 2 games than any time in the last 5 years .i said we would be struggling when he signed these players .to be honest I blame the board for obviously not given him the money needed to sign quality players but his tactics have not helped us at all .
There are no easy games in the premier league these days and it looks like a hard long slog back up the table yet again
Emery is introducing a completely different way of playing.We play out from the back.Even Wenger never done this.I believe we were at times completely nieve and hopelessly out of position at the back as illustrated by their first two goals.But the Team never once came away from how Emery wanted the ball played out.For that you give credit to the players.And the character to come back into the game after being two down to me shows the team are more determined and resolute than last season.
We have a stretch of winnable games now that should see a more reasoned approach from Emery.Citeh and Chelski was always a tough start where we were only hoping and not expecting to pick up any points.Leys at least give the Manager time to improve on these last two performances before we hang him out to dry.
Phil, I’m prepared to give him at least two seasons.
Anyone who cannot see a different style of play is being introduced must be bonkers.
It takes time and that’s what some fans won’t give him.
We have signed five new players assumingly to strengthen the team that finished sixth last season.
They didn’t finish sixteenth or twelfth, but sixth.
Crap away form and dire football agreed, but it was sixth.
Now we have to be patient and wait for the system to work.
I haven’t seen any new different tactics in these 1st 2 matches Ken except for this play the ball out from the back .they look and play like a wenger team more than any of the last 10 years I’ve watched them play .yea he must be giving time but he looks like a little boy on the touch line compared to pep and sarri so far .
Why is he using these wenger players when he signed 5 in the transfer window ?were they signed just for the sake of it to show that the board is spending money ?ive seen that trick to many times to fall for that again
Xxnofx, if you have had the opportunity to read some of my other posts, you will see that I have questioned Emery on his team selection.
Like you, I assumed he bought five players to strengthen the team, so why he’s not playing them is a mystery.
What I find incredible is that with all the blame game going on, it’s been conveniently forgotten that, despite everything, this “weedy and dross” finished 4th last year and have now strengthened with the five signings.
But the faults still Wengers!
The tactic of playing from the back is a work in progress however, how many more do you want at any one time?
Remember Klopp and his antics? What an embarrassment he was… don’t feel like that with Emery, but that’s just my opinion.
More backwards passing than Wenger? I don’t know how to say this without saying something offensive but ‘ there’s no iota of truth in that statement. Under Wenger we had a lot of possession without creating chances, on saturday, despite the fact that Chelsea possessed the ball for most of the first half, we created more chances, as in real chances not half chances, or chances that came by luck or the opponent’s mistake, we created clear cut chances, painfully,they were not taken
So pls chill on the emery blaming diet that you’re on, he wasn’t the one that blazed the ball over the bar nor did he pass the ball to an opponent for the third goal
For the avoidance of doubt, I support the manager and can see improvements and change in the way we play. We always knew this team wasn’t going to get fixed in half a season. What the manager has shown is that he is not afraid to sub the likes of Ozil and Xhaka and to bench the likes of Ramsey. That is one obvious improvement for now that I think is a good sign. No free ride for big names.
Thats real change from wenger s era. I hope he can do that to Cech too
To win a match, which is the reason for playing means you score more than the opponent. Chelsea scored more than Arsenal and therefore won. We should not be too much overworked with our defending fragilities if we can’t score too. Lacazette and Aubameyang starting together should be the focus of our play patterns. I feel our defensive failings is more about being fashionable – These days football is about 4 defenders, that way we lose an attacking player. unfortunately, this will not be helped by the fact that Lacazette loss of possession helped win the match for Chelsea…But he should have been somewhere up ahead as a striker but perhaps he was in that position because he was asked to mind his defensive duties too…
Defending must improve we will always create chances. Back to basics. Great point from Rio Ferdinand great manger like Alex know how to keep the Squad up for the battle not just the starting 11. Ozil and xhaka are important to us but not as starters now. To many fans thinks it likes football manager.
I have to admit i did not like that much.
we were too open.
we gave them countless chances.
Yes, we gave away a lot of chances, but we created a lot, as in a lot, like the average number of chances we would create against a small team last season, we created them against Chelsea yesterday
Sincerely I was happy about the performance despite the result cos the performance is getting better, though more work on that defence though.
And then it looks like the rules have changed, if you don’t play well, you get subbed off, irrespective of who you are and how much you earn, ozil will do well to understand that
We all knew the first 2 games
were going to be hard.
Our season starts v Westham.
Arsenal should win 16 of the next 17 because we have mostly soft games
with Liverpool and Tot at home. Only United of the big teams is away.
It would be unfair if Emery makes changes for Westham.
Emery should give those who played the first 2 hard games
a chance to impress against the weak teams before making changes.
He could play Leno Lichsteiner Torreira Elneny Ramsey Welbeck and Lacazette.
But any one who plays from now on will look good only
because the next 8 league teams we play are useless.
We should win 16 of the next 17 games?
Why is that?
Team’s are in the Premiership because they are good.
To write them off as being nothing more than cannon fodder is a very stupid thing to do.
And we are not that great at the moment…
we lost to tactics its as simple as that. you dn’t play high line and keeping off side when your playing against speedy wingers like pedro and williams. sadly the coach did his home work well and knew that Bellerin’s wing will always expose arsenal’s weakness. mikitarian was not tracking back for reasons best known to him. he shuldn’t hv left Alonso to assist and score. I can nw see why jose sold him. if your team loses possession you immediately man mark the player you were given to mark and not to be jogging back.
Torreira actually shouldve been on Alonso’s run
Give the captainship to the boy. You know who am talking about? Liked his reaction of the young boy to Auba missing a glaring chance. He was also our best player.
I blame the loss mostly on the attackers. Glaring chances. We could have won by at least 5-2. How many chances did Chelsea miss?
Matteo forever!
Today we can blame our attack for missed chances but it is not our attack that is in problem every week. Our defence, from the keeper to the last player is still far from good, but I hope Emery will sort that out in three months time. I dnt think that we will play like Atletico in 3 months but level will be rised.
We are told we have to be patient with the new regime – this is fair enough but if it does not succeed we are right back to square one and even further behind and without the limited attraction of Europa League football.
This season can be viewed as the transitional period – I expect us to push on during this season and become a challenger to the top four (and more) next season.
If that does not happen and we see no improvement then I think it is probably fair to assume that Emery will be replaced.
The last seven days have been very frustrating and I would not blame anyone for thinking it is no better than the rubbish Wenger played during his latter years but I believe Emery will tackle the issues generated by Wenger’s legacy.
If he doesn’t he is a goner !
The “attraction” of Europa league?
Unless you win the Europa League
it is nothing but an unwanted distraction
and a dumping ground for the “B” grade squad players and youngsters.
Arsenal just played two very good teams.
Arsenal are at peak form now.
I bet we will win the next 8 games not because we will improve
but because the opposition will get easier.
You can miss chances but to give away goals like we are doing is diabolical for a premier league team.And its already FIVE.
If Unai can resolve this aspect we gonna have a good season with our lethal attack.
To score 2 goals at the Bridge and lose highlights the main weakness in the team, namely our centre backs.Until we acquire top quality in this area we will continue to be also rans.Mustafi who must rank as one of Wengers worst ever buys and Sokratis are simply not up to it and never will be.Give our young centre backs a chance, they could not be worse.
So Grandad, how do you rate Sokratis amongst Emery’s first five buys?
Did he buy wisely?
Our managers are not given the funds required to buy the top class CB you elude to.
With Kronkie in charge, we will NEVER compete with the likes of City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Bringing in the youngsters is an option, but image the reaction if we do that and lose the next “easy eighteen games” suggested in a previous post.
It all boils down to the time Emery is given by the club and fans.
I would rate defending as more important.If you don’t concede you don’t trail/lose.
Missing chances is ok as long as the defence can hold out.
Now Emery must drill his forwards to shoot better. West Ham having lost 2 games like Arsenal,
will be keen to avoid another defeat.Failure to beat WH would cause fans to lose
patience.
would really love to hear chizas thoughts on our last two games. he mouthed off about us having six points at this stage . would love to know his professional opinion on what happened and what went wrong .hahahahahaha.
Being an arch realist , it is very clear to me and presumable other realists , that until we can sell many of WeNGERS SUB STANDARD DEFENDERS AND REPLACE THEM WE WILL NOT BE NEAR TOP FOUR. WE ARE LIKELY TO BE SIX POINTS BEHIND ALL OUR TOP RIVALS BY TONIGHT. I have total faith in Emery but he and we have to combat Kroenke, who is our REAL enemy. You “cannot polish a turd”, as has been said and we have many turds left from WeNGER. I reserve judgement on Sokratis and Leno and am very happy with ALL the other Emery signings. But not one of Wengers players have played well as all yet this season. I repeat that, Monreal apart, Wenger left an entire club full of substandard defenders, including Cech and Ospina. Bellerin is the new Walcott to me, in being my “BETTE NOIRE” , with Xhaka being a bad joke. Emery will need a minimum of four windows. counting this summer gone, to ditch all Wengers failures and install new players who will buy into his methods. I think Ozil will not be here next summer and hope not too. Ditto Ramsey! And the entire WENGER DEFENCE TOO!
Yes Jon, Emerys defense includes Socrates (haha), buying the error prone Leno (hahaha) extending Xhaka’s contract (hahahaha), talking of making Ramsey captain (hahahahaha). Who stopped him from clearing out Wenger’s so called mess? Playing from the back is more dreadful than any of Wenger’s matches. Hope Emery lasts till December, oh wait, he may be here for the next 22 years as he is a yes man running on a low budget and was unemployed.
Hardly worth my time replying to your nonsense. So I won’t!
The worst thing that annoys me is that I knew this could happen if we continued playing the fan favourite championship players Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsey.
I am going to repeat again. If we play any/all of those three FOOLS against westham, then i can see us drawing that match.
And i wonder why fans keep bringing up excuses for Bellerin; the guy is utter s!!!!t end of.
Make Jon and Herb 100% right. If Unai want’s to pay out from the back then Leno should be a definite starter,as for Bellerin, why we never took Barca’s offer a year ago is beyond me, he plays like a winger trying to play fullback, completely out of position and not that good going forward, a disaster. To think Wenger paid £70 million for Xhaka and Mustafi is mind boggling, the two of them are unbelievable, complete waste of money. In the past I’ve defended Ozil but now beginning to lose patience but willing to stick with him. Ramsey, well I’m sure you all know my thoughts on him. Next game I’d start Lichtsteiner at right back, the young Greek lad along side Sokratis with Torreria and Guendouzi in the middle. I thought Iwobi looked ok, apart from one glaring miss, I’ve given him enough stick lately but give credit when it’s due but I think I’ll stick with Micki. Team for West Ham , Leno, Licht, Sok, Mav, Mon at the back, Guen, Torr, Micki. in the middle With Ozil behind Auba and Laca.
Spot on Kenny.
Its always the defending that has plagued us for years. We were bad finishing today but the bad defending is something we typically see all year
I just can’t see us getting into the top 4 this season. Apart from the defence being worse than last season, we just do not have the players to adapt to Emery’s pressing game and playing out from the back. His inherited players have been in the comfort zone for so long they don’t have the bottle to get out of it and yesterday’s performance summed that up perfectly and Chelsea knew it.
Again playing out from the back we looked ponderous and predictable and therefore ineffective. You also need mobile defenders with good passing technique, which we haven’t got (we bought Sokratis & Lichtsteiner). Cech is not used to this system and it showed, therefore if Emery wants to persist with this why not play Leno who is used to this style of play. I am not criticising Cech who otherwise had a great game making numerous saves.
If Emery wants to continue this style of football he will have to be ruthless and make wholesale changes not unlike Guardiola and Klopp. But this will take time so we might have to bite the bullet for the next 2 years or so and settle for 6th place and the Europa league. Mind you with a tightwad like Kroenke in total control it could take longer if at all.
I think our only salvation will be the younger players stepping up, we don’t have much to lose but will Emery take the gamble? Young Guendouzi has shown the way maybe the others will follow. He is a breath of fresh air and has shown up the established players with his commitment and energy.
?
Sell Ozil, sell Xhaka, Sell Ramsey, buy Nzozi, buy Verrati, build this team around Matteo, start Reis Nelson, buy CB, start lichsteiner.
Nzonzi gone to roma and verrati is imposible – but xhaka, ozil and ramsey all should go either this coming january or next summer – again we need to bring in cover for RB and LB and let cech go also we need two world class wingers in calibre of hazard and another striker and new DM toreira and Guandouzi can play in santi position.
both defending and attacking were as bad as each other, the chances we missed undoubtedly cost us the game as we created more chances than Chelsea. On the defensive side i thought we were slightly better than against Man City so i would say improvements are being made in that area and so long as that is the case then i will give my support to Unai Emery but i don’t believe the squad of players we have is good enough atm to challenge for the top 4.
17 Arsenal
18 Fulham
19 West Ham
20 Huddersfield Town
Arsenal haven’t been for years 17 position
next West Ham is Emery going to pick the Wenger rubbish for ever?
avenger, why do you think Arsenal haven’t been in this position for 17 years?
Because we played Wenger’s rubbish maybe?
Finished sixth last season with this “this dross” but have now bought five players to improve the “dross” or rubbish as you like to call it.
Funny that you have forgotten Emery has given new contracts to many of the rubbish he inherited, so looks like your in for a long season mate!!!!!!
Bellerin should sit out and Lis in
Apart from Socratis i am pleased with the signings made by Emery and I fully recognise it will take him a season of two to change the mentality of his team.During that period I expect him to unload/sell a number of Wenger signings.The failure of Wenger latterly can be exemplified by his failure to buy two outstanding young players from Hull City 3 seasons ago despite him being urged to do so by Arsenal scouts.The players in question were Harry Maguire and Andrew Robertson who could have been bought for £19m and £8m respectively.If only they were part of the Arsenal back four this season.I am not for one minute blaming Emery for the incompetence displayed by our former Manager and his Management team Johnny Evans at £3m is better than Socratis and Mustafi.Stephens at Southampton and Lascelles at Newcastle are others who would improve our side.
Aubameyang is the most over rated striker I have seen in my life. No hold up play, no nothing…all he does is wait for tap ins for him to be served and even half of those, he misses!
Ozil is a disgrace even Xhaka played better than him and that’s saying something, I think the problems stem from the boardroom and Kroenke, we in my opinion have two very good main strikers, the problems are at the back and in midfield where we have not brought in a central midfield powerhouse or dominant centre halves,when liverpool were in the poo defensively they went and got van dyke for 75m I cant see kroenke allowing that,you can have all the ball playing midfielders you want but when you are in the mire they wont get you out of it,I like terierra but he is too small, Man Utd went and got Pogba I don’t see Kroenke doing that either, we are digging ourselves a big hole and becoming a very average team and even worse in danger of becoming an average club I hope I am wrong and that Emery turns things round but not with this mediocre looking team I dont think. New owner needed.
New owner? That is definitely not going to happen, he’s just taking FULL control of our club and can do what he likes in the future. He has zero commitment to us, he just likes collecting clubs, it’s just a power thing to him and I can’t see anyone coughing up $2 billion. The worrying thing about this is that he has allowed the club to get into it’s current state (i.e. outside the Champion’s League) and appears quite happy about it. Depressing isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great if someone like Richard Branson bought the club but one can only dream I suppose!!
With Wenger (the 1st problem) gone, It is dreamy to expect significant improvement until the fundamental (2nd) problem is gone. Football is now big business and highly capital intensive investments in which you can only operate and compete at high level when you are prepared to spend the required big money that attracts top quality players. That’s the new reality but sadly Kroenke seems too greedy like Wenger and won’t leave AFC until there’s a sort of pressure and meltdown.